Addie's fudge wins top award

Mum-of-two Adrianne Sibbett, owner of Addie’s Fudge and Fancies, has been awarded a star from the Great Taste stars of 2016.

The Great Taste is particularly coveted as it is a blind taste food award which values taste above all else with no regard for branding and packaging.

Adrianne, mum to Jackson aged 10 and Luke aged eight, has always had a passion for cooking and baking.

“As a mum I wanted the flexibility of being able to work from home and be there for the boys,” she said.

“I first made fudge as a child at the Girls’ Brigade and loved it and had the idea of developing my own fudge at home.

“I started to experiment with flavours in my kitchen when the boys were at school,” said the busy mum.

“When I felt happy with my product I was fortunate to be able to test it by putting a few bags in my father’s butchers shop in Ballynure.

“The fudge sold quickly and I was really thrilled when people started to ask when there would be more.

“I started to make it weekly for the shop and gradually approached other outlets and now supply five local shops on a regular basis,” Adrianne revealed.

“Since starting in April 2014 I have worked hard to develop Addie’s Fudge as a premium brand using only top quality ingredients, all handmade and hand packed in my own kitchen. I have three main flavours, the most popular is Butter fudge and I have also developed Strawberry Twist and Chocolate Bailies.”

The judges described it as; “A pleasant texture, creamy sweetness – doesn’t leave any graininess in the mouth. It’s been well made with a good melt in the mouth.”

It was judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates - belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers, as well as a whole host of food writers and journalists.

Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.

As well as a badge of honour, the Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.